A man who was attacked by a neighbour following a dispute over parking died due to multiple stab wounds, a court heard yesterday.
The Bahraini neighbour, who is also a relative of the victim, 57-year-old Bahraini Ali Mahdi Albasri, is on trial at the High Criminal Court for premeditated murder after he allegedly ambushed the latter outside his apartment building in Shakhoora on February 27 this year.
A medical examiner, who conducted the autopsy on Mr Albasri’s body, said that the direct cause of death were stab wounds; the victim was reportedly stabbed seven times in the neck, chest and abdomen.
“The murder weapon is a knife or a bladed object,” the Egyptian coroner testified before judges.
“The attack left behind seven puncture wounds; however, their depth cannot be measured accurately.”
During the first hearing of the trial, the defendant hesitantly admitted to charges of premeditated murder, only after the leading judge asked him repeatedly whether he pleaded guilty or not.
The court earlier heard that the slain father left his home at 6.30am to get breakfast for his family when he ‘got into a fight over a parking spot’ with the defendant.
In a previous hearing, the defendant’s lawyer asked judges to move his client back to the psychiatric hospital, having been admitted there right after getting arrested on suspicion of murder.
He argued that the accused was a threat to himself and fellow inmates in the Dry Dock Detention Centre, and claimed that his client had been refusing to take his prescribed psychotropic medication.
Meanwhile, veteran attorney Abdulrahman Ghunaim represented the family and estate of the victim, and submitted a request to sue the defendant for damages in Civil Court.
“This hideous crime has inflicted severe material and emotional damage on the plaintiffs – the victim’s blood relatives and legal heirs – having lost their only breadwinner,” a memo submitted to judges by the lawyer read.
“Thus, it is their right to demand compensation for the harm caused by the victim’s loss.”
The GDN earlier reported that there was a history of disputes between the two men, according to the Public Prosecution.
Mr Albasri was buried in his hometown of Jannusan, a day after his death.
Commercial registration (CR) records show the victim owned and operated a real estate company, which he opened in 2000.
Upon the death of Mr Albasri, hundreds of condolence messages poured in, remembering him as a pious man who was an active member of his community.
The trial was adjourned to May 19 to hear testimonies from more witnesses.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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